Winemonger.com

The Winemonger interview with Cara Bertone, sommelier and wine buyer at the famed Water Grill restaurant in downtown Los Angeles:

1. THE SEASONAL QUESTION
It’s All Hallows Eve. What will you be drinking?

BEER! Anything Tan or a Spiced Ale is all a go!
Black Velvet: Guinness and Champagne blend.

If you are talking about wine, then I would have to go with something that has, what I call, cooler weather spices. Blaufrankish from Austria– a no brainer. Malbecs from Argentina–cinnamon. Anything in Southern France, Roussillon or Provence. Or you can get into some interesting Rhone White wines, particularly Viognier heavy, or oaked wines of Spain or Austria.



2. THE SOMMELIER QUESTION
What are you really thinking when a patron sends a wine back?

If I have not had the opportunity to open the bottle myself to check for impurities, that would be my first concern. If I found nothing wrong with the wine, I would try to steer my guests in a different direction. Not everyone has the vocabulary of a sommelier, so it’s always fun for me to try to see through my patrons eyes and understand what they really want.

If I suggest something that they will not like, this is my bad. However if they choose something they ultimately don’t like well I am always willing to compromise, however I can not allow a guest to pick bottles to open just to see “if they like it”. It can become a bit tricky because some guests may feel it necessary. But for the most part it doesn’t happen all that often. And if a wine is sent back it is usually because of a flaw in the wine.

There also can be some guests who are just downright not happy and I see it as my job to find something to change their attitude whether it be wine or a smile or a funny joke.

3. THE WINE AND FOOD QUESTION
What wine would you suggest to pair with chicken pot pie?

Oh come on CHICKEN POT PIE……. High acid white wine that pairs well with vegetables and, lets see, my first wine would have to be a Gruner Veltliner from the Wachau. Why the Wachau region: only because they abide with ripeness levels, and I would have to suggest a Smaragd from the Wachau.
If I couldn’t have Veltliner, I would most likely suggest a Chardonnay from the Burgundy region of France, preferably a Puligny-Montrachet.

4. THE TOPICAL QUESTION
What do you make of the trend towards high octane (i.e. high in alcohol) wines?

It is almost an anomaly to me. At first glance, it seemed like a huge marketing ploy to mass produce a certain style of wine: big, fat and rich. Upon speaking with winemakers over the past 2 years I started to understand that global warming has really taken its toll in certain winemaking regions.

After tasting and reading and conversing, I do believe that for very few winemakers global warming has been a real issue. I believe that consumers have dictated this rich style of wine, however I do also believe that new world palates are quickly changing faster than wine styles are changing. There are some wine groups that call themselves such names as the “ABCs” which literally means “Anything But Chardonnay”.

This is Cara Bertone

I simply can not afford to carry many of these high octane wines because I am pairing with elegant seafood. I can easily pair big red wines as long as they can hold their acid.

For those who don’t know, “high octane” (ie. high alcohol) means high sugar. A grape contains either acid or sugar, the more of one means less of another. So put that together and the higher the alcohol the lesser the acid. Just doesn’t work to well with food.

Personally they are too heavy for me to drink and it makes no sense to my palate or to my belly.

5. THE DESERTED ISLAND QUESTION
You are on that deserted island. Which two varietals do you plant?

Oh come on!
Riesling, thirstquenching, and easily preserved.
Grenache, bowl full of fruit packed with spices, can be extremely fun and extremely serious.
Either of these wines can usually be consumed right after bottling or hold and develop incredible flavors over years to come!

ABOUT CARA BERTONE
Cara earned her Associates Degree in Psychology at Daytona Beach Community College, and soon after moved to Dallas, Texas. While persuing a finance degree at the Business School of the University of North Texas she stumbled into a job as a server at a restaurant called Steel. This would prove to be the moment that changed the course of her life.

The staff at the restaurant were extremely knowledgeble about wine and Cara quickly fell in love with the stuff, moving up the ranks to assisting the creation of the wine list within 2 years. This coincided with the completion of her finance degree, and she was faced with two internships. The first was at a brokerage firm, the second was at the Siduri winery in Northern California. She went for the Pinot, and hasn’t regretted the decision for even a moment.

When the internship ended, Cara packed her belongings into her car and headed back to Texas. An overnight stay with a friend in Los Angeles would delay the rest of her trip: she spotted an ad for a position at the famed Water Grill restaurant and got the job. She is now the Wine Director/Sommelier at Water Grill, which has been awarded the Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine.

Cara was named as one of the top 5 Sommeliers in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Magazine in 2006. In 2007 Anthony Dias Blue and Patterson’s Tasting Panel named her the best Wine Buyer/Sommelier in Los Angeles. Cara also participates in numerous charitable events and will be a part of the “World of Pinot” and “Hospice du Rhone” tastings this year.

**Winemonger swears it did not pay Cara to suggest Austrian wines in the interview.**